Re-Learning Native America: Popular Imagination Versus Diverse Realities

Course Description

In the US, Native individuals are consigned to the past, portrayed as existing in nature, or used to promote Halloween trends. But, what do we actually know about the 562 tribes who call Turtle Island home?

This course explores Native America, as represented in popular culture, by comparing fantasy to real 21st century Native experiences. Engaging with subversive literature and radical thinkers, we will confront media depictions, historical documents, and political legislation related to tribal life. Topics compare modern tribal issues (such as MMIW, Standing Rock, NAGPRA) to how Native America is imagined by majority culture. Rooted in anthropology, our syllabus (consisting of Indigenous sources) reveals the nuances of tribal nations and how they resist generalizations of what it means to be Native. Weekly themes include: museums, cinema, gender, DNA, etc. Combining academic texts, guest speakers, and field-trips to Native sites, we combat assumptions and learn about diverse tribes.

Students will attend classes, productively contribute to classroom discussions, ask constructive questions, complete assignments in a prompt manner, and attend weekly guest speaker lectures or field trips.

Prerequisites: No prerequisites are required, as this is an introductory course meant to provide a brief overview of various timely themes related to Native America. The course is open to students from all programs and year levels, including those from outside the social sciences and humanities.